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Insects
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RNAi in Insects
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RNAi in Insects

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Molecular Biology and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 12198

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dulce Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Interests: insects; RNA interference; small RNAs (micro RNAs, small interfering RNAs and PIWI-interacting RNAs); systemic RNA interference; RNAi-based pest management; RNAi-based antiviral immunity; small RNA-based transposon control; insect-virus interactions
Dr. Luc Swevers

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, 153 41 Athens, Greece
Interests: insect antiviral immunity; insect virology and immunology; RNA interference
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent decades have seen great progress in unravelling the mechanisms of RNA interference (RNAi) and small RNAs (sRNAs) in insects and other arthropods. This has been accompanied by a whole range of novel and exciting fundamental questions: 1) What are the molecular players and modes of action of the several RNAi pathways (miRNA, siRNA, piRNA)? 2) From where do the different classes and/or particular sRNA molecules originate? 3) Which physiological processes are mediated by the several sRNA classes and/or specific sRNA molecules? 4) Is RNAi and its sRNA players involved in intercellular, interindividual, interspecies, or even interkingdom communication, and via what mechanisms? In addition, RNAi promises to contribute to novel biotechnological applications—how can it be applied to integrated pest management, to the control of viral infections in vectors or beneficial species, or to the development of research tools, for example? The current Special Issue aims to highlight advances in RNAi and sRNA research in insects and other arthropods. Besides contributing to answer fundamental questions, we also aim to highlight the biotechnological potential of RNAi and sRNA molecules. We invite the submission of original research manuscripts and reviews covering these topics.

Dr. Dulce Santos
Dr. Luc Swevers
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • small RNAs
  • siRNAs
  • miRNAs
  • piRNAs
  • dsRNA
  • RNAi
  • insects
  • arthropods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 7628 KiB  
Article
The Study of Cell-Penetrating Peptides to Deliver dsRNA and siRNA by Feeding in the Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria
by Elise Vogel, Dulce Santos, Cissy Huygens, Paulien Peeters, Stijn Van den Brande, Niels Wynant and Jozef Vanden Broeck
Insects 2023, 14(7), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14070597 - 1 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2324
Abstract
RNA(i) interference is a gene silencing mechanism triggered by double-stranded (ds)RNA, which promises to contribute to species-specific insect pest control strategies. The first step toward the application of RNAi as an insecticide is to enable efficient gene silencing upon dsRNA oral delivery. The [...] Read more.
RNA(i) interference is a gene silencing mechanism triggered by double-stranded (ds)RNA, which promises to contribute to species-specific insect pest control strategies. The first step toward the application of RNAi as an insecticide is to enable efficient gene silencing upon dsRNA oral delivery. The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria is a devastating agricultural pest. While this species is responsive to dsRNA delivered by intra-hemocoelic injection, it is refractory to orally delivered dsRNA. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of five cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to bind long dsRNA and protect it from the locust midgut environment. We then selected the CPP EB1 for further in vivo studies. EB1:dsRNA complexes failed to induce RNAi by feeding. Interestingly, we observed that intra-hemocoelic injection of small-interfering (si)RNAs does not result in a silencing response, but that this response can be obtained by injecting EB1:siRNA complexes. EB1 also protected siRNAs from midgut degradation activity. However, EB1:siRNA complexes failed as well in triggering RNAi when fed. Our findings highlight the complexity of the dsRNA/siRNA-triggered RNAi in this species and emphasize the multifactorial nature of the RNAi response in insects. Our study also stresses the importance of in vivo studies when it comes to dsRNA/siRNA delivery systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue RNAi in Insects)
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15 pages, 2603 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Analysis of RNAi Trigger Uptake and Distribution in Mosquito Vectors of Disease
by Paul M. Airs, Katherine E. Kudrna, Bailey Lubinski, Yashdeep Phanse and Lyric C. Bartholomay
Insects 2023, 14(6), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14060556 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2023
Abstract
In mosquitoes, the utilization of RNAi for functional genetics is widespread, usually mediated through introduced double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) with sequence identity to a gene of interest. However, RNAi in mosquitoes is often hampered by inconsistencies in target gene knockdown between experimental setups. While [...] Read more.
In mosquitoes, the utilization of RNAi for functional genetics is widespread, usually mediated through introduced double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) with sequence identity to a gene of interest. However, RNAi in mosquitoes is often hampered by inconsistencies in target gene knockdown between experimental setups. While the core RNAi pathway is known to function in most mosquito strains, the uptake and biodistribution of dsRNAs across different mosquito species and life stages have yet to be extensively explored as a source of variation in RNAi experiments. To better understand mosquito-RNAi dynamics, the biodistribution of a dsRNA to a heterologous gene, LacZ (iLacZ), was tracked following various routes of exposure in the larval and adult stages of Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae, and Culex pipiens. iLacZ was largely limited to the gut lumen when exposed per os, or to the cuticle when topically applied, but spread through the hemocoel when injected. Uptake of dsRNA was noted in a subset of cells including: hemocytes, pericardial cells of the dorsal vessel, ovarian follicles, and ganglia of the ventral nerve cord. These cell types are all known to undergo phagocytosis, pinocytosis, or both, and as such may actively take up RNAi triggers. In Ae. aegypti, iLacZ was detected for up to one week post exposure by Northern blotting, but uptake and degradation drastically differed across tissues. The results presented here reveal that the uptake of RNAi triggers is distinct and specific to the cell type in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue RNAi in Insects)
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11 pages, 2472 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of RNA Interference via Injection and Feeding in Honey Bees
by Yong Zhang, Zhen Li, Zi-Long Wang, Li-Zhen Zhang and Zhi-Jiang Zeng
Insects 2022, 13(10), 928; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13100928 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2686
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) has been used successfully to reduce target gene expression and induce specific phenotypes in several species. It has proved useful as a tool to investigate gene function and has the potential to manage pest populations and reduce disease pathogens. However, [...] Read more.
RNA interference (RNAi) has been used successfully to reduce target gene expression and induce specific phenotypes in several species. It has proved useful as a tool to investigate gene function and has the potential to manage pest populations and reduce disease pathogens. However, it is not known whether different administration methods are equally effective at interfering with genes in bees. Therefore, we compared the effects of feeding and injection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH7A1), 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Both feeding and injection of siRNA successfully knocked down the gene but feeding required more siRNA than the injection. Our results suggest that both feeding and injection of siRNA effectively interfere with brain genes in bees. The appropriateness of each method would depend on the situation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue RNAi in Insects)
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Review

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43 pages, 1164 KiB  
Review
What Are the Functional Roles of Piwi Proteins and piRNAs in Insects?
by Dulce Santos, Min Feng, Anna Kolliopoulou, Clauvis N. T. Taning, Jingchen Sun and Luc Swevers
Insects 2023, 14(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14020187 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3912
Abstract
Research on Piwi proteins and piRNAs in insects has focused on three experimental models: oogenesis and spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster, the antiviral response in Aedes mosquitoes and the molecular analysis of primary and secondary piRNA biogenesis in Bombyx mori-derived BmN4 cells. [...] Read more.
Research on Piwi proteins and piRNAs in insects has focused on three experimental models: oogenesis and spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster, the antiviral response in Aedes mosquitoes and the molecular analysis of primary and secondary piRNA biogenesis in Bombyx mori-derived BmN4 cells. Significant unique and complementary information has been acquired and has led to a greater appreciation of the complexity of piRNA biogenesis and Piwi protein function. Studies performed in other insect species are emerging and promise to add to the current state of the art on the roles of piRNAs and Piwi proteins. Although the primary role of the piRNA pathway is genome defense against transposons, particularly in the germline, recent findings also indicate an expansion of its functions. In this review, an extensive overview is presented of the knowledge of the piRNA pathway that so far has accumulated in insects. Following a presentation of the three major models, data from other insects were also discussed. Finally, the mechanisms for the expansion of the function of the piRNA pathway from transposon control to gene regulation were considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue RNAi in Insects)
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